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Tài liệu 800 thành ngữ thông dụng nhất trong tiếng anh - mỹ

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"The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms In America" cung cấp 800 thành ngữ (sắp xếp theo bảng chữ cái) thường được sử dụng nhiều nhất, có thể giúp bạn hiểu và ứng dụng dễ dàng nhờ các giải thích rõ ràng kèm ví dụ minh hoạ cụ thể.
“IDIOM” - an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically (as no, it wasn’t me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements. In other words, it’s American Slang which you may not always get. In fact, idioms can make you totally lost in conversations! We Americans seem to roll them off our tongues very easily and we are so busy gabbing that we really are clueless when we even use them! Yet idioms are nothing to sneeze at. If you wish to make a killing in America, you must keep your nose to the grindstone and not have your head always in the clouds. You’ll find that if you hang in, and knock yourself out with hard work, before you know it, you will have mastered these hip expressions and come through with flying colors. I bent over backwards putting this list together for you. I figured if I gave you a hand in helping you understand how American English is used on a daily basis, soon you’ll see that you no longer are just scratching the surface in learning the language. You’ll realize that you have pulled this off ever so successfully. Before you know it, not only will your pronunciation be reeling, but soon you’ll be sounding like a native, understanding the lingo, and realizing that you finally have it made! (Translation) In other words, it’s American Slang which you may not always understand. In fact, idioms may make you totally confused in conversations! We Americans seem to say them very easily and we are so busy talking that we really are unaware when we even use them! Yet idioms are not easy. If you wish to be successful in America, you must work hard and not be day dreaming. You’ll find that if you don’t give up, and are diligent, before you know it, you will have mastered these popular expressions and finish with tremendous success. I did everything I could putting this list together for you. I figured if I assisted in helping you understand how American English is used on a daily basis, soon you’ll see that you no longer are just merely beginning to understand the language. You’ll realize that you have accomplished something remarkable. Soon, not only will your pronunciation be great, but soon you’ll be sounding like a native, understanding our expressions, and realizing that you are enjoying tremendous success! This manual accompanies the video training program in American English Pronunciation available only at www.PronunciationWorkshop.com. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this manual may be publicly distributed, presented, duplicated or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the expressed written consent of the publisher. You should further understand that text, images, sounds, video clips, and other multimedia items included in the PronunciationWorkshop.com website, represent valuable intellectual property and redistribution of such material is a violation of federal and international law. You agree to be wholly liable for any dissemination of such materials and realize that your computer and other possessions may be seized by law enforcement officials. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 The 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in America ( i n a l p h a b e t i c a l o r d e r ) 1. above board – legitimate, legal. She knows it shouldn’t be kept a secret. She wants to keep everything above board. 2. across the board – including everyone or everything. The company had a successful year. All salaries were increased by 10% across the board. 3. air one’s dirty laundry in public – discuss personal problems openly. He is a very private person. If he has a problem in his family he doesn’t want to air his dirty laundry in public. 4. all along – all the time. She was accepted into the university, but she knew all along that she’d get in. 5. all ears – eager to listen. I was excited to hear about her vacation. When she told me about it, I was all ears. 6. all thumbs – clumsy, unable to fix things. Don’t ask me to put that clock back together. I’m all thumbs. 7. an arm and a leg – a large amount of money. It cost an arm and a leg to fix the stove. 8. ants in one’s pants – nervous, anxious. He wasn’t sure if he would be chosen to win the award. He had ants in his pants. 9. apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, the – being similar to a parent or family member. He acts just like his father. You know, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 10. apple of one’s eye – someone special, usually a son or daughter. Although he loves his son, his daughter is the apple of his eye. 11. at fault – responsible for making errors. He is at fault for all the errors on the computer. 12. at odds – in disagreement. He is at odds with his boss. 13. at one’s beck and call – always ready to do what is ordered. Whenever she calls him, he’s always helping her. He is at her beck and call. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 14. at one’s wit’s end – anxious, frantic. I need to speak with him to finish the report by tomorrow but he’s not available. I’m at my wit’s end! 15. at the end of one’s rope – desperate, with nowhere to turn. I’ve tried every which way to figure out this problem but I can’t. I’m at the end of my rope! 16. back on one’s feet – financially or physically healthy again. Since sales improved, he is doing better and he’s getting back on his feet. 17. back out of – withdraw, end an obligation or promise. I made a deal with my friend to help him at work. When I became too busy, I had to back out of it. 18. back to the drawing board – rethink an idea, need to start over. When my supervisor told me that our idea would not work, we had to go back to the drawing board to come up with something else. 19. backbone – courage. He has no backbone because he was afraid to reprimand her. 20. backseat driver – passenger who tells you how to drive. I’ll never drive Joe to the airport again. He kept on wanting me to take another road which I knew was wrong. He is such a backseat driver. 21. bail one out – help. Thanks for picking me up when my car broke down. You really bailed me out of a bad situation. 22. ballpark figure – approximate amount. When I asked the contractor how much it would be to remodel the kitchen, he gave me a ballpark figure. 23. bang for the buck – value for the money spent. Newspaper advertising works well for us because we get the best bang for the buck. 24. bank on it – be sure of, count on. I’ll be there to help you. You can bank on it. 25. banker’s hours – short work hours. He loves his job because on Friday, he gets to work banker’s hours. 26. bark up the wrong tree – make a wrong choice or a false assumption. If he thinks that I’m going to help him paint his house, well he’s barking up the wrong tree. 27. bat a thousand – have a perfect record. He is so happy that everyone he invited to the party is coming. He’s batting a thousand. 28. bat an eyelash – show emotion. He was filled with emotion during his speech, but she didn’t bat an eyelash. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 29. bawl out – reprimand. The team was bawled out after they lost the game. 30. be beside one’s self – be very upset. I was so mad when I heard that she was making up stories about me that I was beside myself. 31. beat around the bush – avoid giving a clear answer. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings and tell him that he wasn’t selected for the team. So when he asked me if I had any information, I basically beat around the bush. 32. beat someone to the punch – do something before someone else can. She was going to buy the last red dress that the store had, but I beat her to the punch and bought it first. 33. beat the rap – escape punishment. There was not enough evidence to convict him, so he beat the rap and was set free. 34. behind the 8-ball – in trouble. My department is late on its deadline. We are behind the 8-ball. 35. bend over backwards – try very hard. He’ll bend over backwards to help any of his friends. 36. bide one’s time – wait patiently for the right opportunity. I’m just going to bide my time. I know that eventually a position will open. 37. big shot – important person. Since he was given a promotion, he’s been acting like a big shot. 38. big stink – an angry and loud complaint. She made a big stink when her meal was served cold. 39. birds and bees - facts about sex and birth. The girl’s mother told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays. 40. bit off more than one can chew – trying to do more than one can physically and mentally handle. I told her I would help her in her job, but it seems that’s all I’ve been doing lately. I think I bit off more than I could chew. 41. bite one’s tongue – keep oneself from speaking. I had to bite my tongue in order not to tell him that he won the raffle. 42. bite the dust – die, disappear. Our old TV didn’t work yesterday. I guess it finally bit the dust. 43. blab – talk too much. She is always blabbing about her supervisor’s personal life to her friends. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 44. blabbermouth – person who talks too much and tells secrets. He is such a blabbermouth that there is no way Bob will be surprised for his party. 45. black sheep – a family member with a bad reputation. John’s way of life is so different from all of ours. He is known as the black sheep of the family. 46. blind date – a date arranged for two people who don’t know each other. Many married couples have met on a blind date. 47. blow it – lose a chance, make a mistake. I knew I blew it when I forgot my lines in the play. 48. blow over – end, pass. She knew her coworkers will eventually forget how she messed up the filing system in the office. She couldn’t wait for the incident to blow over. 49. blow the whistle – expose, betray. I just found out that he’s been stealing from our company for the past year. I don’t want it to continue and I’ve decided to blow the whistle. 50. boil down – make shorter, condense. This whole complicated situation just boils down to something simple…it’s either a yes or a no. 51. bomb – fail, be unsuccessful. The whole cast was very sad that the show bombed on Broadway. 52. bone to pick with someone – complaint, argument. I heard that you have rejected my proposal. I’m upset and have a bone to pick with you. 53. boob tube – television set. What is on the boob tube tonight? 54. bookworm – person who reads a lot. The library is the perfect place for her to work because she is such a bookworm. 55. booze – liquor – They kept bottles of booze behind the bar. 56. botch up – make a mistake, ruin. I asked for her help with my watercolor painting. But when she decided to add some purple paint, I knew that she completely botched it up. 57. bottom line – end result, ultimate cause. He never practiced the piano, so the bottom line is, he can’t play very well. 58. bounce – not acceptable because of insufficient funds in the bank. If your check bounces, I will need to charge you extra money. 59. brain – intelligent person. She is such a brain, she will figure out how to solve the problem. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 60. brainstorm – very smart idea. I have got a brainstorm! Let’s start giving out free samples of our products. 61. bread and butter - basic needs of life (food, shelter, clothing). The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes. 62. break one’s neck – try very hard. She broke her neck last night trying to finalize the proposal. 63. break the ice – overcome formality or shyness with others. He started the meeting by telling a joke. He was hoping the joke would break the ice. 64. break the news – tell a surprising fact. She broke the news and told him that she was going to move to another city. 65. break up – separate. They needed to break up their engagement because she fell in love with someone else. 66. break even – have expenses equal to profits. The company did not make a profit this year. We just broke even. 67. breathe a word – tell. Please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. 68. breeze – easy. Last night’s homework was a breeze. 69. bring home the bacon – earn the family’s income. He stays home and raises the children and she brings home the bacon. 70. broke – having no money. I can’t go to the restaurant tonight because I’m broke. 71. brown bag – bring one’s lunch from home. For the meeting on Friday, we’ve all decided to brown bag it. 72. buck – dollar. I’m low this week on cash. Can I borrow a few bucks to get me through the week? 73. buckle down – study or work very hard. Last semester his grades were very low, so this year he decided to buckle down. 74. buddy-buddy – very friendly. She’s gotten to be very buddy-buddy with her boss. 75. bug – annoy, bother. It bugs me every time he asks to borrow a pencil. 76. bulldoze – intimidate, coerce. I did not want to work on the fundraising committee, but I feel I was bulldozed into it 77. bum – worthless person. As long as I have known him, he never © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 5 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 worked and always borrowed from other people. He is such a bum! 78. burn a hole in one’s pocket – money to be spent quickly. The bonus he received must have burned a hole in his pocket. He ended up buying a car the next day. 79. bury the hatchet – make peace. Although we had gotten into a big fight last month, we decided to bury the hatchet and become friends again. 80. butt in – interfere. Please don’t butt in to our conversation, it’s personal. 81. butter up – flatter for selfish reasons. I buttered up my boss before I asked him off for the upcoming holiday. 82. by hook or by crook – by any means necessary. Even though we have to fly to get to your wedding, we will be there by hook or by crook. 83. by the skin of one’s teeth – by a very small margin. Our team won by the skin of our teeth. 84. call it quits – stop, finish. I have worked all day and am exhausted. I‘ve decided to call it quits. 85. call off – cancel. The game was called off because of rain. 86. call on the carpet – reprimand. He was called on the carpet for losing all the financial statements. 87. call someone’s bluff – have someone prove what he says. I don’t think Bob knows as much as he says. I think we should call his bluff. 88. call the shots – be in charge, give orders. We knew who the supervisor was because she called all the shots. 89. can – fire, dismiss. I was canned and no longer am working for the company. 90. can of worms - complex problem or complicated situation. It opened up a large can of worms when the company decided to talk about the union contract. 91. carried away – adversely influenced by strong emotion. He was carried away by his effective sales approach and bought the remainder of his products. 92. catch on – understand, figure out. I am beginning to catch on to this algebra. 93. catch someone red-handed – find one in the act of doing © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 6 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 something wrong. The police came and the bank robber was caught red handed 94. caught short – I didn’t have enough money to pay the bill. I was caught short. 95. chalk up – record, score. Chalk up another one for the team. They won the championship. 96. change of heart - a change in the way one feels about something. I wasn’t planning to spend the holidays with my family, but after speaking with my mother, I had a change of heart. 97. chickenfeed – a small amount of money. Taking the whole family on that cruise is certainly not going to be chickenfeed. 98. chip in – contribute. We are all going to chip in and give the teacher a gift. 99. chip off the old block – child who looks or acts just like his or her parent. He reminds me so much of his father. He’s a chip off the old block. 100. chip on one’s shoulder – quarrelsome attitude, quick to anger. I was afraid to ask her for a favor. It looked like she had a chip on her shoulder. 101. cinch – easy. Adding and subtracting was always a cinch. 102. clamp down – become stricter. Because he came home from the party so late, his father said he will start to clamp down on his curfew. 103. clean up – make a big profit. Since he started his new business, he’s really cleaning up. 104. clear – go through. When will this check clear my bank? 105. clear the air – calm anger and remove misunderstanding. We were tired of fighting, so we decided to start talking and clear the air. 106. close shave – narrow escape. It was a close shave getting out of the burning building. 107. coast is clear – no enemy is in sight. Take the present out of the closet when the coast is clear. 108. come a long way – make great progress. He came a long way in his recovery from surgery. 109. come across – find or meet by chance. If you come across any pictures of my friends from high school, let me know. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 7 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 110. come apart at the seams – be upset and lose control. I almost came apart at the seams when I saw the taxicab hit my car. 111. come clean – tell the truth. I came clean when I knew I was caught in a lie. 112. come hell or high water – no matter what happens. Come hell or high water, I’ll for sure be at that meeting. 113. come off it – stop kidding, boasting or making believe. Herbert said he was the only one who could do the job. I told him to come off it. 114. come on strong - overwhelm with excessively strong language or personality. The car salesman came on too strong and angered my wife. 115. come through with flying colors – succeed, win, exceed. When he graduated with honors, it was evident that he came through with flying color. 116. comeback – to be successful again. The actress made an outstanding comeback on the stage, after her bout with pneumonia. 117. con – lie, swindle, trick. His boss conned him into working on the weekend for no pay. 118. cook someone’s goose – create big problems for someone. He knew that when he was caught in a lie his goose was cooked. 119. cough up – give money unwillingly, give up a secret. You said that you would help pay for their wedding. Well, it’s been three months – cough it up. 120. count on – rely on, trust. I could always count on my best friend. 121. cover for someone – protect someone. Please cover me, if I end up not knowing what to say at the meeting. 122. crack down – The police are beginning to crack down on teenagers who are out too late at night. 123. cream of the crop – the best of a group, top-choice. This university only accepts the cream of the crop. 124. creeps, the – fear, uneasiness. It gives me the creeps every time I pass the strange looking house. 125. crocodile tears - show of sorrow that is not really felt. He cried crocodile tears when he discovered that he couldn’t go to the meeting. 126. crop up – happen quickly without warning. I had to stay at work late yesterday. Some new work cropped up. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 8 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 127. cross one’s mind – think of, occur quickly to someone. It did not cross my mind to thank her for my birthday card. 128. cut corners – limit one’s buying. She was way over budget for the wedding, so she needed to cut corners. 129. cut down on – use less, reduce. My doctor wants me to cut down on sugar. 130. cut the mustard - succeed, do well enough what needs to be done. He wasn’t able to cut the mustard so he had to leave the army after only one year. 131. cut out – have talent for, be suited for. She is not cut out for the swim team. She’s too slow. 132. cut someone down to size – prove someone is not as good as he or she thinks. John thought he was the smartest student in the class. We needed to cut him down to size. 133. dawn on – become clear, begin to understand. It finally dawned on me that I missed our anniversary. 134. dead-end job – position with no future. He decided to go back to college because he realized he had a dead- end job. 135. dig up – find, recall, discover. Have you dug up any information on the new employee? 136. dime a dozen – common, easily obtained. Those shiny stones are not worth anything. They are a dime a dozen. 137. dish out – criticize, abuse, scold - Sometimes he’s nasty and insulting. He can really dish out. 138. dive – disreputable, low class bar or nightclub. I did not like where he brought me last night. It was a real dive. 139. do the trick – be successful, achieve a good result. The recipe needs a little help. I think salt may do the trick. 140. do without – live without something. When the television broke, I knew that I could do without it for a week or two. 141. doctor it up – fix temporarily. The hem on the dress ripped. I doctored it up with some tape. 142. double check – reinvestigate thoroughly, look again for errors. This column does not add up. I will double check it for a mistake. 143. double-cross – betray. I cannot double-cross my best friend. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 9 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 144. dough – money. He makes a lot of dough. 145. down and out – having no money, no success. Although he was successful a few years ago, today I hear he’s down and out. 146. down in the dumps – unhappy. She’s been down in the dumps ever since she lost her job. 147. down the drain – wasted, lost. I don’t like to throw my money down the drain. 148. down to earth – having good sense, practical. My fiancée is friendly and sensible. She’s very down to earth. 149. draw the line – set the limit. He sets an early curfew for his children. He draws the line at 10:00 PM. 150. dress up – wear one’s best clothing. We need to dress up for this wedding. 151. dressed to kill - wear one’s finest clothing. She was dressed to kill when I saw her at the convention last year. 152. dribs and drabs – little by little, small quantities. She told us the story in dribs and drabs. 153. drive at – try to say, insinuate. What were you driving at when you said that insulting comment? 154. drive someone up a wall – make someone crazy. My son is driving me up a wall! 155. drop in the bucket – a small amount. The cost of fixing the sink is a drop in the bucket compared to replacing the whole sink. 156. drop out – one who doesn’t complete a study course. My cousin dropped out of college. 157. drown one’s sorrows – drink liquor to forget one’s problems. I was so upset last night, that I drowned my sorrows at the bar. 158. dump – get rid of, reject – I can’t believe you dumped your girlfriend. 159. dwell on – talk and think about something all the time. I know it is a big decision, but you shouldn’t dwell on it all day. 160. eager beaver – ambitious, hard working. Charlie gets to work at 7:00 am everyday. He is an eager beaver. 161. earful – interesting gossip, information. My friend found out about the local politician. I got an earful. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 10 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 162. egg someone on – push, urge. My wife didn’t want to take the job, but I egged her on. 163. elbow grease – strength for cleaning. I needed to use a lot of elbow grease to get the dirt off the floor. 164. elbow room – enough space to be comfortable. It was so tight in that restaurant. There wasn’t any elbow room. 165. end up – finish. I heard that you got lost on your way home last night. Where did you end up? 166. every Tom, Dick and Harry – the average person, nobody special. It seemed like every Tom, Dick and Harry came out to purchase tickets for the movie. 167. face the music – meet one’s punishment, accept the consequences. When he got caught stealing the money from the bank, he realized that soon he would have to face the music. 168. face up to – accept something unpleasant or difficult. You need to face up to the fact that you did not win the election. 169. fair and square – honest, honestly. I won the contest fair and square. 170. fall apart – stop working properly, deteriorate. His old car finally fell apart. 171. fall behind – not be able to keep up, fail to maintain a schedule or rate of speed. When she couldn’t go to school because of her illness, she significantly fell behind in her work. 172. fall for – begin to love, have strong emotions for. I fell for her as soon as I met her. 173. fall off – decrease. Sales have been falling off since the economy has slowed down. 174. fall through – fail, collapse – The big sale I made at work yesterday fell through this morning. 175. false alarm – warning or report that is untrue. She thought that she was pregnant, but it was a false alarm. 176. far-fetched – unlikely, exaggerated. The possibility of her receiving a full scholarship is very far-fetched. 177. fast buck – money obtained easily and often unethically. I know a way we can make a fast buck. 178. feather in one’s cap – proud achievement. His speech went well © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 11 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 at the corporate meeting. It was a feather in his cap. 179. fed up with – had enough, disgusted with. She was fed up with his attitude at the office. 180. feel in one’s bones – know by intuition, feel certain without evidence. I believe he is going to get the promotion. I can just feel it in my bones. 181. feel like a million bucks – feel wonderful. I felt like a million bucks when I wore my new suit to the wedding. 182. feel like two cents – feel ashamed or embarrassed. I felt like two cents when I dropped the birthday cake on the floor. 183. feel sorry for – pity. She felt sorry for him when she heard the news of his accident. 184. fender bender – minor accident. I had a fender bender on my way to work this morning. 185. fiddle around – work without a definite plan and knowledge. The clock was broken, so he fiddled around with it until he got it to work. 186. figure out – try to understand, solve. She couldn’t figure out one of her math problems. 187. fill someone in – tell a person the details. We had the meeting yesterday when you were out. Let me fill you in on what you missed. 188. find fault – complain, criticize – She always seems to find fault with any of my friends. 189. fish out of water - someone who does not fit in. She felt like a fish out of water when she went to the party in her formal dress while everyone else was wearing jeans. 190. fishy – suspicious, false sounding. Your company is giving you a month off from work? That sounds a bit fishy. 191. fix someone up – arrange a date for someone. I fixed her up with my best friend. 192. flip one’s lid – get angry, go crazy, become very excited. He flipped his lid when he found out his son stole some candy from the store. 193. floor someone – surprise, confuse. I was floored when I found out they had made me a surprise birthday party. 194. flop – failure – His business ended up being a flop. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 12 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 195. fly off the handle – get angry. Her mother flew off the handle when she found out that her daughter dropped out of college. 196. fly the coop – leave suddenly, run away. As soon as he turned eighteen years old, he flew the coop. 197. fly-by-night – unreliable, untrustworthy. I don’t want to buy my computer from that store. It’s a fly-by-night company; they may not be in business next year. 198. foot in the door – opening, hopeful beginning of success. It is not my idea of a perfect job, but at least I have my foot in the door with a great company. 199. foot the bill – pay. Who is going to foot the bill for the office renovations? 200. for a song – at a low price, cheap. He got his new car for a song. 201. for the birds – terrible, awful. I work long hours and hardly get paid. This job is for the birds. 202. for the time being – at the present time. For the time being, let’s not make any changes to the report. 203. free-for-all – mayhem, disorder. When the teacher left for a meeting, it was a free-for-all in the classroom. 204. freeload – get things that others pay for. When my friend moved into my apartment, stayed for a year and never contributed any money, I knew he was a freeloader. 205. from the bottom of one’s heart - with great feeling, sincerely. My sister thanked me from the bottom of her heart for saving her dog’s life. 206. from the left field – unexpectedly, with an odd or unclear connection to the subject. We were in the middle of a business meeting when, out from left field, he asked about the weather. 207. from scratch – from the very beginning, starting with raw materials. This chocolate was not made from a cake mix, she made it from scratch. 208. fume – be angry. When I heard that she was talking about me to other people, I was just fuming. 209. gall – shameless, insolent attitude. She spent all of her money on clothes and music, and then she asked to borrow money for groceries. She has gall. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 13 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 210. game – willing, ready. Okay, you want to make plans to go to China? Okay, I’m game. 211. get a grip on oneself – take control of one’s feelings . When he lost the soccer game, he couldn’t stop crying. I told him to get a grip on himself. 212. get a kick out of – enjoy. I get a kick out of it every time I see her dance. 213. get a load of – have a good look at. Get a load of those fancy cars driving down the street. 214. get ahead – become successful. She is saving all her money, so that one day she can get ahead. 215. get along – manage. He realized that he was able to get along quite well without his partner. 216. get around to - finally find time to do something – I have put it off for months, but I finally got around to cleaning the windows. 217. get at – mean, hint. You tell me that I am slow at work. What are trying to get at. 218. get away with murder – not be punished for wrongdoing. – He’s the boss’s son and comes in late everyday, but we can’t complain. He’s getting away with murder. 219. get cold feet – be afraid at the last minute, lose confidence. I was prepared to make a speech, but I got cold feet when I saw how many people were going to hear it. 220. get down to brass tacks – begin important work or business. Get off the phone so that we can discuss business. Let’s get down to brass tacks. 221. get even – get revenge, settle the score. I was so upset when she insulted me last week. I want to get even with her. 222. get the runaround – be sent from place to place without getting the information needed. It took me four hours to renew my driver’s license. I was sent to almost every department and seemed to get the runaround. 223. get in on the ground floor – start from the beginning so you’ll have full advantage of any favorable outcome. He is a very wealthy man. He was one Microsoft’s first employees and got in on the ground floor. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 14 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 224. get in the swing of things – adapt or adjust to a new environment. After working two weeks in the new department, I finally got into the swing of things. 225. get off the ground - make a successful beginning, go ahead. He will finally take his project and get it off the ground in the coming year. 226. get off one’s back – leave someone alone, don’t bother. She reminded me that I had to prepare for my trip out of town. I wish she would get off my back. 227. get off on the wrong foot – make a bad start. Having a fight with a co-worker on my first day of work was not a good idea. I got off on the wrong foot. 228. get off the ground – make progress, make a good start. I finally got my business off the ground. 229. get one’s goat – make someone disgusted, annoyed, angry. Sitting in traffic for 5 hours really got my goat. 230. get out from under – end a worrisome situation. I am glad that I am working again and making money. I finally got out from under my bills. 231. get out of – withdraw. I would really like to get out of going to the holiday party. 232. get out of hand – lose control. The party really got out of hand when they started drinking alcohol. 233. get something off one’s chest – unburden yourself, tell what’s bothering you. I feel better ever since I told him my problem and got it off my chest. 234. get the ax – be fired. My company finally realized that he wasn’t doing his job. They gave him the ax. 235. get the show on the road – start a project or work. We have been discussing unimportant things all morning. Let’s get the show on the road and start getting down to business. 236. get to the bottom of – find out the real cause. After talking to my friend for an hour, I finally got to the bottom of why he was angry at me. 237. get under someone’s skin - annoy, bother, upset. He has a difficult and annoying personality and always got under my skin. 238. get up and go – ambition, energy, enthusiasm – She always seems so excited and motivated at work. She’s got a lot of get up and go. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 15 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 239. get up on the wrong side of the bed – be in a bad mood. My son has been cranky all day. I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed. 240. get what is coming to one – what one deserves, good or bad. After stealing so much money from the charity, I really hope he gets what’s coming to him. 241. get wind of – find out, hear gossip or rumors about. I got wind of the fact that they will be closing down our department. 242. give a hoot – care. I don’t give a hoot who wins the election. 243. give the cold shoulder – be unfriendly to, ignore. I was so mad at my cousin, that I gave her the cold shoulder at the wedding reception. 244. give in – do as others want, surrender. I wanted to paint the room blue, my wife wanted yellow. I had to give in. 245. give it one’s best shot – try very hard. I gave it my best shot, but I still didn’t make the team. 246. give someone a break – give someone an opportunity or chance. The actor struggled for many years. Finally, someone gave him a break and put him in a movie. 247. give someone a hand – help. I couldn’t work my regular hours. A co-worker gave me a hand and switched schedules with me. 248. give someone a piece of one’s mind – say what you really think when angry. I was so mad that he was late for the wedding, I gave him a piece of my mind. 249. give someone his walking papers – dismiss, fire, send away. She got her walking papers on Friday and won’t be coming back to work. 250. give someone the green light - give permission to go ahead with a project. We were finally given the green light to begin setting up the new project. 251. go cold turkey – stop abruptly. My doctor really wants me to quit smoking. I decided to stop and go cold turkey. 252. go Dutch – each person pay for himself. If we have dinner together, I insist that we go Dutch. 253. go from bad to worse – deteriorate. Sales have been very slow this season, but this was the worst week of all. It seems like it’s going from bad to worse. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 16 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 254. go out of one’s way – make a special effort, do more than necessary. I went out of my way to make it easier for you. 255. go over – examine. Before I submit the report, I want to go over it one more time for mistakes. 256. go over big – be very successful. Do you think my idea to have a birthday party for our teacher will go over big? 257. go overboard – overact, be reckless. I’ve never seen so many flowers at a wedding. Do you think maybe you’ve gone overboard? 258. go steady – go out with only one person romantically. Who did you go steady with in high school? 259. go to bat for – assist, help. I have overheard that she may be fired from her job. I think she is a hard worker and I want her to stay. I’m going to bat for her. 260. go to pot – deteriorate, become undisciplined, unkempt. He has quit his job, gained weight, and I think may be abusing drugs. It looks like he’s really gone to pot. 261. go under the knife – have surgery. I’ll be going under the knife next week for some minor surgery. 262. go up in smoke – disappear, fail to materialize. She was going to go on a vacation, but her mother got sick. Her plans have gone up in smoke. 263. go-getter – ambitious person. She is the most successful salesperson I’ve ever seen. She’s a real go-getter. 264. goldmine – worth a lot of money, successful. His business is a major success and will only get bigger every year. He is sitting on a goldmine. 265. goner – someone in a lot of trouble. His boss found out he has been stealing from the cash register. He’s a goner. 266. good sport – a person who loses well. Even though I beat you in the game, you still congratulated me. You are a good sport. 267. goof off – not want to work, be lazy. I am tired of working so hard. I just want to stay home and goof off. 268. grab 40 winks – I felt so sleepy after my lunch, I decided to grab 40 winks. 269. grand - $1000. It cost me a grand to stay in the luxury hotel. 270. greasy spoon – inexpensive restaurant with mediocre food. I hated dinner last night. It turned out being a greasy spoon. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 17 The Pronunciation 800 Most Commonly Used Idioms in- America Workshop Manual Session 1 271. gung ho – enthusiastic, eager. He thinks his team is the best in the league. He is really gung ho this season. 272. guts – courage. He has a lot of guts to stand up to management. 273. guy – man. That guy over there is my neighbor. 274. half baked – foolish, silly. Opening up a store which sells only tape will not be successful. It is a half baked idea. 275. hand it to someone – give credit, acknowledge. I’ve got to hand it to you. Your idea to open a store in this location was great. 276. hand over fist – rapidly. He’s making money hand over fist. 277. hand something on a silver platter - give a person something that has not been earned. His father is president of the university and his education was handed to him on a silver platter. 278. hand to mouth – barely able to cover basic expenses. That family is struggling since the father lost his job. I hear that they’re living hand to mouth. 279. handful – a lot of trouble. My three year old runs around the house and often breaks things. He’s a real handful. 280. handle with kid gloves – be very careful, tactful. His wife gets upset very easily. He has to handle her with kid gloves. 281. handy – can fix things, useful. She’s very handy around the house. If anything breaks, she can fix it easily. 282. hang in there – be patient, wait. I know you want to quit school, but hang in there. You only have 4 more weeks before your graduation. 283. hard feelings – anger, bitterness. I know we had our differences, but I hope there are not any hard feelings. 284. hard up – in desperate need of something. Everyone comes to her desk and takes supplies. I know she’s hard up for pencils. 285. harp on – dwell on the subject, repeat, persist. I know losing your job was awful, but don’t harp on it. You are only making yourself more depressed. 286. has-been – a person once popular but no longer in public favor. Since the movie star was found guilty of a crime, I haven’t seen him in any motion pictures. He’s a has-been. 287. hassle – bother. Please stay home tonight. I don’t want the hassle of having to bring you and pick you up from the party. © 2005 - 2007 PronunciationWorkshop.com, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 18
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